About Us

What we do and why we do it

'We practice the kind of law that gives the poor guy in the street the keys to the courthouse.'

Mike Cefalo holds out his hand and counts on his fingers the things his law firm will not do. 'We won't accept retainers or take solicitorships. We won't represent corporations, hospitals or insurance companies, and no one from our firm will sit on a company's board.' All of the work done at Attorney Mike Cefalo's firm is on a contingency basis. 'We don't get paid unless we win your case.' Mike calls his practice 'Cefalo and Associates, The People's Law Firm.' Then he adds on, 'And we like it that way.'

It's not a slogan, 'It's our philosophy. We practice the kind of law that gives the poor guy in the street the keys to the courthouse.'

Over twenty years ago Cefalo and Associates began as a small law firm, but has grown into one of the largest personal injury law firms in Northeastern Pennsylvania serving an 18 county region surrounding Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. The office is located in West Pittston, Mike Cefalo's hometown. 'I grew up 500 yards away from my office,' he says.

The firm has eight lawyers and over twenty support staff. Cefalo and Associates handles cases such as auto and truck accidents, slip and fall injuries, medical malpractice, workers' compensation, and defective products. The firm also handles cases involving swimming pool, airplane, and boat accidents.

Most people never consider that their car can be a lethal weapon. Cefalo and Associates handles a variety of auto-related cases involving air bags, seat belts, and other problems.

At Cefalo and Associates it's all about people. 'We are always looking for ways to help people. We do more than just represent our clients, we take care of them.' All of our lawyers at Cefalo & Associates are people oriented.

'We don't want lawyers with Wall Street backgrounds; we encourage them not to apply. I'm not impressed with degrees and certifications. We don't even hang our diplomas on our walls. I don't hire diplomas to work here. I hire people.'

Mike Cefalo wants his clients to know that he and his attorneys are completely loyal to them without any distractions or other interests. 'We've never represented any insurance company and never will,' he says, 'We are fiercely independent of insurance companies.'

There is one other thing Mike Cefalo wants his clients to know: he and his associates take their obligations one step beyond legal and ethical standards. They are committed to being moral as well. 'We constantly ask ourselves if we are being moral, and are we doing the right thing? We never want to lose sight of that.'